After 2017 saw the Indie-Pop quartet reach 15,000 monthly listeners on Spotify as well as play a 5,000-cap show at ValeFest 2017, Bears in Trees are back and pulling at the heartstrings of their growing audience. In this particular single, they pay homage to the journey of Christopher McCandless, also known as ‘Alexander Supertramp’ from the 2007 indie film ‘Into the Wild’.
Though they may not have renounced civilisation and embraced the trials and tribulations of nature, the South London band describe their new single, ‘Fly out to Alaska’ as ‘equal parts’ inspired by the hit indie film and an exploration of their own experience in reaching the end of university. In essence, it groups together all of the emotions you’d feel when reaching this confusing and uneasy stage of your life and expertly throws them into the most upbeat and powerful 2 minutes and 40 seconds of your life.
The song opens with the hauntingly beautiful vocals from Iain Gillespie and Callum Litchfield: ‘I’ll ride my bike til’ I reach the highlands, where no-one will know my name’ mirroring a relatable yet as still angst-filled adventure as in the film. The song goes onto paint the image of discovery within a natural paradise, bringing in guitarist Nicholas Peters and finally drummer George Berry. It tells the tale of four boys exploring a brand-new world but tells it through a beautifully melodic chorus.
Despite representing the challenging changes and journeys they’re making, it is good to see that the band maintain their anecdotal humour and hyper-personal lyrics that made their previous EP’s so popular. As the song draws to its bridge, the standout lyrics: ‘They tried to promote me to full-time at the gay bar, I told them I’ve got to finish my degree’ highlight the comical realities of university life as well as bring in the personal touch we expect from the boys.
The song comes to a finish with the lines ‘live in the woods the rest of my days and I’ll waste away’ which brings together the perfect harmony of being in- between- with not knowing what to do between university and the rest of your life. It then beautifully mixes it with the tragic conclusion of ‘Into the Wild’. We’re all incredibly excited to see what the band release next and to stay up-to-date with their journey, we recommend you follow them on all of their social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Fly out to Alaska is available now via Spotify.
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